I had read in the walt the walk talk the talk post that as many as 95% of people who lose weight gain it all back. YES this is true but they are missing one very important thing. we here have


1 constant support available, not that does not make a bit of difference to some one if they chose to ignore us but if they come back before it gets to bad then they can get back in control with our help

2 and the most important is that we are changing our life we HAVE to make LIFESTYLE CHANGES and that is impressed very much here. this is not a quick fis this is not a one time deal we have to change the way we eat forever. that does not mean we will not have occastional treats but we have to realize that we are fat and we will always be fat if we do not make the changes in our life. and it is those poeple that realize that that will succeed and be the 5% that keep the weight off.

I do not know about you but I am gpoing to be that 5%I know that i will have some slips but if i go back to eating the way i did then i will be fat again and for the rest of my life. I have not given 1 1/2 years of hard owrk and probabley 1 more year to lose weight just to gain it all back!! NO WAY I know that i am going to have to give up things like eating whole bags of oreos and sneaking to mcdonalds without the kids just so i can eat an extra hasb brown or supersize my fries. I may do this on occasion but not 2 times or more a week. I know that i am going to make changes in my life style and that is what we all need to do. to make this a success. change our lives. If we go back to eating like we did the guess what we will get fat!!!

OK SUE get off the soap box!!!

PHEW!!!

Sue, like you I can't imagine ever gaining the weight back once I have lost it. It will be such a hard battle once I get to my goal that I will never want to go through all of that again. You are right about quick fixes, you only need to look at Oprah and the Optifast diet she was on. I can't imagine how she felt after losing it all and gaining it back so quickly.

When you really think about it, is the pleasure that we get from food worth all the other stuff that comes with being fat? I mean we all have gone through the agony of not being able to find clothes we like, hating the way we look, not being able to fit into movie theatre/airplane seats, not being able to get a car seat belt around us, and I could go on and on. I don't think I have ever eaten anything that would give me as much joy as looking in the mirror and being happy with the way my body looks. I am starting to look at food as it was meant to be, as a source of energy and nutrients for my body. Food is not an emotion or an occasion. It is the exact same thing as the gas you put in your car. We should stop treating it like something emotional. I wish whoever invented the phrase 'comfort food' would have thought of something better to do that day. Food should not be comforting, it should not take the place of something you are missing in your life, food should just be food. Maybe if I start looking at it like that more often I'll start making healthier choices in my diet and make my body run better. Now it is my turn to get off the soap box!

Hello Everyone!!

I don't know if anyone remembers me. It's probably been a year since I've last visited.

I haven't really had a chance to read all prior posts so I'm gonna just try to catch up as I go on. Not sure if I know most of you or not. Looking forward to knowing you all.

Brief summary:

-weight problem my entire life. up down up down

-7 years ago lost 75 pounds and was done to 175.

-Bam-got pregnant-gained 45-had son and gained and gained and gained and gained.

-joined ww and starting posting here around 2(?) years ago-lost 20 or so-got discouraged and stopped.

-saw a therapist and recognized the "eating disorder" (complusive overeating and depression)

-past year talked and talked but never acted

-I think something might have clicked I hope so anyway! i JOINED A GYM TODAY!!!!!!

Since I obsess over food, whether I'm eating out of control or dieting, I'm trying a different approach. Thought I'd try to excercise and try to get in shape and if I'm less stressed I won't binge as much!!

Anyway, this is one of the few places I could share my excitement. Not many people understand how hard it is for someone over 250 pounds to join a gym.

Can't report the weight yet. I have not been weighed in. I go Thursday nite to work with a personal trainer and set up my workout.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Hope to check in soon.

Susie Q............ You go girl!!!!!!!
LISTEN PEOPLE............ There are stats for everything. It is your choise and your alone. You are not a number you aare a human being with a God given right to choose. I lost over 101 lbs and kept it off for many years. If I had not had a serious accident which kept me almost bedfast for 8 1/2 years I would not have gained it back at all. Bear in mind I was an active human. I had kept that weight off for over fiv years and kids..... I had weighed 485 lbs. It took 15 years of a seditary lifestyle to take that away from me. 15 years of being nearly bedfast mind you. The key is simple and rarely stated so once again let me tell you how not to fall victim to that numbers game.

First of all remember you are a person not a number.

2ndly Assumptions are usually totally incorrect

3rdly For one year after you have reached your goal weight, one solid year, keep a close track of your weight. If you gain 1 pound
stop right there take a day or two and lose it. If you will keep within one pound of your goal weight for one year your natural body thermostat will reset at that weight. It will not be easy to gain back if after that year you find yourself having gained five pounds somewhere along the way take a couple of days and drop it. It is easy after that year. You have a day you know you are going to go crazy .... so ok, follow it up with two days of protein and whall la you are just as svelt as ever. No problem. The only real difference is in knowing just to keep a check off and on after that year. Weigh yourself every few days for a year and keep a good maintance plan going. Stay within one pound and reset your body it is easy to keep off after that. I promise.
KNow what I am talking about!!!!!!!!!!!
Pam

Wow!! All of you are so encouraging.

I just re-started this mission, but like most everyone here, it's been a life long struggle. I've never been thin, but I'm at my all time high now and my strongest desire is to make this my life long high. I don't ever want to be here again.

Jen - I agree totally! Since I've been on this mission my motto has been, "Will that peice of food taste as good as being thin feels?" So far my biggest problem isn't eating, or the tons of water, but exercise! I just can't seem to get motivated in that area.

Pam - thanks for sharing your experience! It's wonderful to know how do-able this really is! I've already decided that I will *never* be without a scale again.

Chelle